For the whole month of February, I was studying for midterms while warding off sicknesses.

At the same time, I was working my two jobs – as The Freshman columnist and as administrative assistant for the Meyers Institute for College Preparation, which provides enrichment classes for disadvantaged Ward 7 Washington, D.C., public school students.

But last weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to drive down to Austintown, Ohio, to get away for a bit and to see our friend, Sean Loeffler.

Loeffler traveled from Redondo Beach to Ohio to fight against Bobby “Guns” Martinez of Indiana, in the International Fighting & Boxing League: Fight Night11. We were looking for a much-needed break from our respective schools and from Washington, D.C. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

When people asked where I was from, I told them I was a freshman studying at Georgetown, but that I’m originally from L.A. Many people were interested in what I was studying. When I told them I am majoring in international politics, they hastily mentioned that Hillary Clinton made an appearance in Youngstown earlier in the week. I chuckled, thinking to myself that I was actually trying to take a break from my daily CNN feed.

During our mini-vacation, I could not help but study, bringing a heavy suitcase mostly filled with textbooks.

While studying in the hotel suite, I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to find a strange man staring at me through the glass window. Being the only person in the suite, I pretended that my boyfriend was in the adjoining room. I phoned my boyfriend and Sean Loeffler and they rushed back to the room and called the police. A policeman showed up and I filed a report.

We were shocked to discover that the neighboring city of Youngstown, two miles from our hotel, had the highest murder and corruption rate per capita in the Northeast United States. This was a giant culture shock from my experience in Washington, D.C. A higher crime rate is reported in D.C., but I felt much safer compared with being in Ohio.

For instance, when I was waiting for a train, I observed two officers with a black Labrador. I asked what they were doing and one of the officers informed me their canine was a bomb-sniffing dog.

Not only was this trip my first time in Ohio, but it was my first glimpse into the world of cage fighting and mixed martial arts. At the fighting venue, I watched men trying to break each other’s limbs in a square black steel cage.

The Loeffler vs. Martinez fight was one of the major professional fights of the night. I was speechless that Loeffler agreed to fight the 20-pound heavier “Guns” Martinez.

Despite this weight difference, Loeffler dominated the fight and won in

3 minutes, 13seconds into the first round. After the fight, Loeffler and Martinez shook hands and Martinez congratulated Loeffler after nearly getting the life beat out of him.

The sense of respect and admiration among all of the fighters is what I took away most from the fights and the behind-the-scenes conversations.

My mini-vacation to Austintown, Ohio, was quite an adventure. It gave me a chance to see a different part of America. Before this trip, I could tell you where the African country of Djibouti is, but I hadn’t the faintest idea where Ohio was in the United States.

Most importantly, I recognized the vital role that education plays in a person’s future and that I should never take Georgetown for granted, no matter what trying circumstances arise.

Finally, my advice to all is that you should take a break every now and then. But don’t go somewhere where you are likely to have to file a police report.

Lana Buu is a Torrance High School graduate writing about her freshman year at Georgetown University. She can be reached at LB328@georgetown.edu.

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